UNSTABLE AND STABLE CRACK GROWTH: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE BEHAVIOUR OF SMALL AND LONG FATIGUE CRACKS |
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| Authors: | Yang Jingjun Pei Hongxun Ke Wei |
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| Affiliation: | Institute of Corrosion and Protection of Metals, Academia Sinica, Shenyang, P.R. China |
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| Abstract: | Abstract— The effects of the changes of crack shapes on the behaviour of small cracks were investigated on single edge crack specimens and small surface crack specimens with different initial crack shapes. Experimental results obtained from beach mark measurements on the fracture surfaces indicated that the behaviour of small cracks was strongly dependent on the crack shape itself. While the initial shape of a small crack was unstable with respect to the state of specimen-geometry-stress system, the crack gradually adjusted its shape to a specific preferred shape by means of non-uniform growth. In addition, the deceleration and subsequent acceleration of crack growth corresponds to the transition from unstable to stable crack growth. |
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